


Dad

by KanraChrome



Category: Moonlight Lovers (Visual Novel)
Genre: Betaed, Ethan is sweet for once, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Gen, Ivan being the baby of the bunch, Roommates, Slice of Life
Language: Français
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24024022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KanraChrome/pseuds/KanraChrome
Summary: Ivan is the youngest, without a single bearing anymore. The one everyone wants to spoil. So much that sometimes, he messes up.Translation of Papa. Please not that English is not my mother tongue, but I tried !
Kudos: 15





	Dad

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Papa](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24012766) by [KanraChrome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KanraChrome/pseuds/KanraChrome). 



Ivan was the youngest of the manor and the one who had most recently lost all his bearings. If he knew he was around adults who had lived for several centuries, he had trouble associating their real and physical age, their sometimes childish behaviour not helping. Yet sometimes, just sometimes, he found his bearings back.

Aaron was the first to take care of him, being the one who found him wandering in the woods one night after Ivan spent the day hiding in the forest. Ivanl was about to rush towards the village, a tantalizing smell hypnotizing him to the point that he was drooling when a dark mass had fallen on him, brought him and defended him against the others who oscillated between hostility and pity. He didn't want to stay with them, yet he had to get used to it after he understood what he had become. Ivan didn’t want to accept it but it was less difficult to live now that he was with people who understood what he was going through and who prevented him from becoming a monster. 

Hunger was unbearable and Aaron was the only one who taught him how to control it, his soft growl resonating when Ivan bit his forearm while hiding under his cloak when he couldn’t get enough. It was Aaron who taught him everything he needed to know with a tinge of amusement, without overwhelming him, leaving him enough freedom to be able to improve at his pace. He felt like he was back in kindergarten with his father watching over him from the bench, ready to take him away from potential bullies. He was sleepy because of tonight’s hunt, making the mistake of dropping on the back of Aaron's animal form, the warmth, smell and steady rhythm of his steps immediately cradling him. He dreamt about his younger self in front of an almost empty plate with two Brussels sprouts, his father encouraging him to eat them.

\- You will have to learn to kill your prey when it is injured, so as not to spoil the gift of life that that has been given-   
\- Please dad I’ve eaten too much already ... 

Aaron stopped in his tracks, turning his head to stare at the sleepy young vampire dreaming on his back, trying to not drop him out of embarrassment. All right, he’ll postpone the lesson. As he returned without any noise other than his claws on the wood, Aaron took back his human form to put Ivan to bed, restraining himself from stretching to not wake him up with his bones’ noise. his protege was still mumbling in his sleep before awkwardly covering himself with the cloak which Aaron placed correctly on him, stroking his forehead with the back of his hand before letting him alone. Aaron ran into Vladimir and Raphael as he went down to his room, giving them a broad smile at their greatest confusion.

Surprisingly, Béliath was the one chatting with him the most. His interactions with the others were limited to politeness and subjects that he did not really master, even by reading all the books available to not be mocked too much in front of the more knowledgeable elders. On the contrary he was isolated with his own knowledge of popular culture, except with Béliath who often asked him the origins of catchphrases or asked about characters he had been compared to. Ivan rejoiced each time to be able to spread his knowledges, explaining with a renewed enthusiasm to the best of his ability without losing the other too much, the sparkling gaze of Beliath fixed on him without a word. Seeing the understanding in Beliath’s eyes and hearing his thanks for something so trivial helped him a great deal to feel better. He was so used to thanking others for everything they brought him that he blushed as soon as Béliath thanked him for what he could bring to others. 

It had been a few months since Béliath asked him more and more acute questions, admitting that he asked his conquests to submit riddles to solve and obscure quotes to find. Ivan felt like a detective trying to guess what the the other was talking about, Béliath's challenging smile and his compliments for only rewards. Béliath sometimes gave him distorted terms, raising the difficulty up again. Smash Bros music resounded in his thoughts when Ethan decided to play too, whispering to Beliath what he had found by "pure luck". Obscure quotes for the most part, including one from The Witcher he recognized once translated, but still his loss. He lost a CD every time he failed and found the lost property two or three days later on his desk, not knowing when or how Ethan picked it or returned it with his door locked.

It was one of those evenings, Béliath had not gone out and Ivan was helping him in the garden, both discussing the questionable choices of a character the youngest despised, Béliath interrupting him before he had the chance to pull out a sprout rather than a weed. The discussion was coming to an end after throwing the weeds into the compost, Aaron's voice echoing to call for Ivan in the meantime. Béliath was about to leave him before turning around for a final question, but Ivan was faster.

\- Yes Dad ?

A silence settled before an arm wrapped around his shoulders, preventing Ivan from fleeing and hiding in his cape. Béliath laughed, hugging him and asking him to say it again. Maybe he had no reason to worry about his mistake this time. Ivan had said it again without much conviction, someone's broad hand ruffling his hair for the second time. This time he had won everything. 

Raphaël was the one who appeared when he needed him the most, like a fairy godmother who changed his mind by offering to stay with him in the living room to listen to him play the piano. The youngest calmed down as soon as he was around him, sitting quietly next to him watching his fingers move on the keys, sometimes closing his eyes to feel the music. He had almost fallen asleep several times on his shoulder covered with soft silk, mortified each time by hearing the tender laughter of the fencing master. Ivan also let him touch his face, the feeling of his gloved hand on his cheek an essential support when his hunger threatened to consume him. 

He was in Raphael's room for the first time, his whistling in awe while looking at the painted ceiling and almost stumbling on the carpet at the center of the room. Everything was so beautiful. He didn't even know what half of the antique furniture was called but everything was beautiful, harmonious. Ivan could have spent hours lying down on the carpet to stare at the ceiling, startled to hear his name called. Raphael was waiting for him near a big trunk that had seen better days, the interior crammed with artistic tools. He suddenly understood why Raphael had asked for his help, Ethan would never have had the patience. 

\- What’s that ?   
\- A Renaissance pencil. 

Ivan groaned again as Raphael laughed at his expense, taking the charcoal from his hands to put it away according to a method that only the older could understand. They weren't even finished with the trunk which storage boxes had collapsed with the weight of years. Slowly but surely they were gathering everything out of it to check if anything was broken, gather pencils sets and tools Ivan had never seen in his life. Raphaël then stored them methodically in new compartments in treated light wood so that it would never happen again. His hands were covered in grime, graphite, grease, anything that could cling to him and the cloudy water in the container next to him couldn't help much. He was even afraid of dirtying the soap cube. 

\- You really don't know anything about what is in my trunk?  
\- To me these are just brushes and trowels.  
\- Knives.   
\- Ethan knows how to handle those? 

The loudness of Raphael's laughter caught him off guard and made him burst out laughing too, imagining it far too vividly. Their laughter barely subsided as they finished putting everything together and checking, the result satisfying to watch for Ivan who finished arranging the boxes as requested. Raphael had already taken out paint to Ivan’s greatest confusion, grabbing a few brushes before smiling at him as if he expected something. The youngest of the manor hid in embarrassment behind his hood, suddenly understanding.

\- Could you go get me a medium canvas please?   
\- Of course !   
\- And wash your hands before.   
\- Yes Daaaaaad !! 

Ivan had gone like a cannonball on the stairs, almost falling down missing a step, too happy to realize what he had said. Raphael had been stuck in front of his empty easel, his cheeks gradually pinker as he joined his hands against his forehead to give himself a countenance. This child was hellish but he already cherished him. 

Vladimir had given him a lot of tasks since Ivan arrived at the manor, making sure he knew enough about the building before letting him do simple ones. He was already used to clean at home, he now discovered the joy of cleaning three floors inhabited and too big for six people. The mansion had seemed huge at first, he now had the proof that it really was when he emptied yet another bucket of dirtied water while whining. At least he was not responsible for transporting the waste from the last party like Ethan, he almost felt sorry for the other younger when he saw what was left of corpses of bottles and glasses at the entrance of the manor. 

Ivan had finally finished cleaning the living room, giving the kitchen one last glance. It stressed him every time he walked by, seeing how dirty it was. He was closing the broom closet when Vladimir's voice echoed through the library. What did he want now ? His rebellion was was immediately quelled by the natural severe look of Vladimir who still scared him after all this time. The books that all the residents of the mansion had borrowed were on the writing desk, sorted into three separate stacks that left him puzzled. He was pretty sure he had put them on the shelves.

\- All these books weren’t in their right place.  
\- Can I do it tomorrow? I just finished cleaning and-  
\- Is dawn near?  
\- Not really ?  
\- So you still have time to learn how to store them properly. 

His last sentence left no room for discussion as he sat down to watch Ivan, scrutinizing the slightest of his actions. Ivan had never been good at going to the front of the class, Vladimir's remarks annoying him as he tried to remember where the books were supposed to go. He refrained from snapping despite the tension in his shoulders, relieved when the place owner did not tell him to remove a book from the shelves, the stacks getting smaller. Hopefully he would have some time for a hot shower before sunrise, a few more books and ... 

The last five were impossible to store. He knew them mostly because he liked to look at the pictures and was unable to figure out where they should go once out of the shelves, even by comparing the characters on the edge with those of the books already stored. He remembered more or less from where he had taken them but in the meantime the others had either fallen or been pushed by other inhabitants and his memories were unreliable. He had finally placed one after trying to put it between each book and its neighbour. Only four left. He knew very well that Vladimir was not doing this to humiliate him, that it would be beneficial for him later, but between that and cleaning it started to weigh on him. 

Ivan had finished storing the books before the first light of dawn, cheating thanks to Raphaël and Béliath while Vladimir argued with Aaron about whether or not he had the right to reprimand Ethan for having brought back a van and loading everything at once to get rid of the chore. No matter how much he hated the other youngest, he had to admit that he was beginning to understand his constant state of aggressiveness if he had to do all the chores without help for all these years. Tiredness and satisfaction were visible on his face when Vladimir finished inspecting the library, the stern look softening in front of the accomplished work. He headed straight to bed, at least he was done with the library. Ivan yawned continuously while climbing the stairs, only answering with mmh when Vladimir spoke to him until he arrived to his room.

\- Ivan, one last thing-  
\- Yes Dad ?   
\- ... Nothing, you can go to bed. 

Vladimir watched his protege open his door and crash on the bed, still fully clothed, falling asleep in an instant. He closed the door, stopping the others for a moment to ask them if they had heard like him. Judging by their exhausted nod, yes they did. His lips stretched as he walked into his room with a sense of personal accomplishment. 

The regular sound of darts resounded in the large living room with the sound of the piano and the cries of the ones most involved in the game, Béliath having joined Ethan and Aaron to play for once. Ivan watched from time to time, preferring to count the scores even if he wanted to play too. He did not dare to ask since he didn’t want to rile up Ethan. He had never thrown a dart in his life and had barely mastered his new strength after all. Lost in thoughts, he did not notice that Béliath had left the place to go outside, leaving him alone with the expert who stared at him for a long time. 

\- Do you want to play Ivan?  
\- Can I ?   
\- Yeah, and if you break you pay. 

Aaron’s threatening stare had stopped Ethan in his tracks before he he could start a fight with him yet. Ivan was already surprised that he invited him to play with his precious darts, even more amazed that he had asked without a persistent elbow in the ribs to play nice. Maybe he had a chance to put a pinch of dirt on the hatchet tonight.

\- I’d like to ! But you have to teach me !  
\- Never played darts ? You failed in both life and death.

Half a pinch of dust. Despite everything, Ethan had shown him how to aim and had let him try again and again. Ivan had succeeded few good shots and was learning quickly, each shot bringing him a little closer to the bull's eye. Aaron had stopped playing to watch them have an almost civil discussion for once, staying close in case they got out of hand. The darts flew for hours, Ethan's relentlessly stuck in the triple twenty that Ivan was trying to reach. Now that he managed to hit the bull's eye for sure he just had to adjust his angle and get the right parabola ... to fail again. 

Ivan froze when he felt a weight on his head, surprised to be distractedly ruffled by Ethan's hand just behind him after giving him his darts stuck in the twenty. He hadn't even seen him move, witchcraft. And how did he manage to make exactly the same three parabolas to put the darts in the same three holes since the start of the evening without failing once ? He even waved his hand in front of the dart while Ethan was aiming to make sure there were no hidden threads but no, he was just that good. Taking a deep breath, Ivan tried again to do the same, missing again with a groan of frustration. 

\- I did everything like YOU did though ?!   
\- Yeah, the last ones were pretty good. You should have hit. 

He expected to be shot down and won a compliment without an ounce of mockery, even Raphael had missed a note before resuming. Ethan had retrieved Ivan’s darts to check them, squaring his shoulders to throw them. Two triple twenty and one triple one. Ivan had let out a cry of surprise when he saw him kill his perfect score, even more surprised when he saw the older one casually toss them in a box where there were far too many already at different levels of damage. 

\- The spikes must have been dead since some time, try these.   
\- You want me to try yours ...?  
\- Yes mine. Since there's my name on it.

No sooner had Ivan recovered than he felt the difference in weight and balance, staying a long time to observe their metallic teal colour. His experience to throw darts was still fresh, but he felt that with these he could succeed, as if Ethan's talent was infused in it. Ivan rolled his shoulders to relax before returning to a good position and throwing with all his focus, admiring the parabola as the dart fell on the edge of the triple twenty. The second had arrived at the top of the box and the third at the limit with the triple one, but he had succeeded. He allowed his hair to be ruffled, laughing this time, revelling in the cheers and striking a radiant smile at Ethan.

\- Thanks thanks thanks !  
\- No probs, now I have someone to play against. And Aaron owes me 10 bucks.   
\- Why ? Did you bet I couldn't do it? That I was going to break the target?  
\- He bet you'd call me daddy too.  
\- You're too young for that, you have more of a big brother vibe. 

Ethan's face was bright red before attempting to flee, his touched expression hard to hide behind Aaron's arm. He had immobilized him to ruffle his hair to Ivan’s delight. Ethan’s threat to stab them all, caused Raphael’s amusement, gently nagging to make him admit that he had liked this peaceful evening. Not a pinch of dust but a whole handful, Ivan hoped. He really liked this Ethan.


End file.
